Lafourche Parish officials declared a state of emergency Monday night after a levee was breached in the Belle Terre area of Choupic, according to a parish statement released Tuesday.

"Department of Public Works crews sandbagged the weakened area of the levee and were successful in stabilizing the levee," the statement said. "DPW crews are currently checking other sections of the levee for weakened areas."

The breach put about 60 homes at risk, according to our news partners at FOX 8.

The leak was on a levee off Highway 304 that blocks water from the Lafourche Basin, according to WBRZ.com. The basin is higher than usual, the report said, because of recent rain and winds that have blown water into the area. Lafourche officials specifically cited backwater from Ascension and St. John parishes for adding the strain that led to the breach.

The levee had problems in nine areas, FOX 8 reported. All but one had been stabilized as of Tuesday night.

DPW Director Don Edwards plans to meet next week with engineers to figure out how to strengthen the levee.